Homemade Carpet Cleaners (You Probably Already Have in Your House)

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Oops! Whether it be fruit juice, a finger-paint masterpiece or a girls night wine spill, it seems that your carpet can never be clean. If you find yourself at a loss with all of the spots you see in your house, here is a list of carpet cleaning solutions using products that you can find around your house.

 

Baby Wipes

Baby wipes are a super convenient way to blot up spills from your carpet. They make great homemade cleaners doing double duty to both absorb any extra liquid and attack stains. They are also a great solution to mitigate spills and drips on clothes and upholstered furniture.

 

Baking Soda

Baking soda is the best choice to quickly clean vomit or urine stains from your carpet.  First, wipe up what you can and pour baking soda over the affected area. Pat the spot with a paper towel and let it dry completely before vacuuming up the residue. Baking soda is great because it cleans, sanitizes, and deodorizes the spot all at once. You can also lift grease stains from the carpet when you combine baking soda with equal parts salt. Sprinkle the mixture over the grease spot and use a stiff brush to work it into the spot. Let it sit for 4-5 hours and vacuum to completely remove the stain.

 

Beer

Getting that coffee or tea stain out of your rug may seem impossible, but this unlikely solution will literally lift the stain right out! Pour a bit of beer right on top of the stain and rub it lightly into the material. The stain should disappear. You may have to repeat the process a couple of times to remove all traces of the stain. Remember with cleaning agents like beer, vinegar, and paint remover there may be an odor left behind for a short amount of time.

 

Borax

Dampen the stained area thoroughly and rub in some borax. Once the area is dry, either vacuum or blot it with a solution of equal parts vinegar and soapy water. Repeat if necessary. Remember to test this DIY on a small corner of the rug or on a carpet scrap before applying it directly to the stain.

 

Club Soda

Club soda works wonders on pet urine and other tough stains. Blot up any excess urine with paper towels; then soak the stain with club soda. Blot the spot again and scrub the area with diluted carpet shampoo. Club soda also removes spilled coffee and tea stains. Pour it liberally over the stain and blot to dry.

 

Cornstarch

Ink spilling on your carpet can ruin your day, but thankfully there’s an easy DIY to get that stain out. Mix milk with cornstarch to make a paste and apply that to the stain. Allow it to sit and dry for a few hours. Then, brush off the dried residue and vacuum it up. Cornstarch is also effective in cleaning up grease and oil stains. Liberally sprinkle cornstarch on the spots, let it sit for a few hours, and vacuum it up.

 

Dry Cleaning Fluid

Dry cleaning fluid removes grease, lipstick, butter and any other mysteriously oily substances. To remove the stain, blot up excess oil with a paper towel and work the fluid into the stain moving from the edges to the center.

 

Hydrogen Peroxide

Do you have a mystery stain that you still want to clean? Don’t worry; this homemade carpet cleaner can tackle unknown stains too. Mix a teaspoon of three percent hydrogen peroxide with a little bit of cream of tartar or a dab of non-gel toothpaste. Rub the mixture on the stain with a soft cloth and wipe clean with a damp cloth.

 

Ice

Did you discover a random piece of gum stuck to your carpet? Ice is the perfect and easy way to get sticky substances off the carpet. First, use ice cubes in a plastic bag to freeze the gum; then, scrape it with a butter knife. Ice can also remove dents left by heavy furniture. Put an ice cube in each dent, and let them slowly melt. After 12 hours, blot up the wet spots. Finally, use the edge of a spoon to lift the carpet fibers back up.

 

Meat Tenderizer

If scraped knees or elbows leave blood stains on your carpet, there’s a DIY cleaner that will take care of it quickly. Cover stains with equal parts cold water and meat tenderizer and let that stand for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes is up, sponge off the excess with cold water.

 

Paint Remover

Paint remover will quickly clean up spilled nail polish, paint, or leaked ink. All you need to do is gently dab the stain with paint remover. If the stain is especially stubborn, you can try a little dry cleaning fluid on the spot as well.

 

Salt

Just a sprinkle of salt can boost the power of another homemade carpet cleaner and works wonders on a variety of stains. Red wine stains on the carpet can be a nightmare, but don’t panic. While the spot is still wet, pour some white wine on it to dilute the color. Then clean the spot with a sponge and cold water. Sprinkle the area with salt and wait about 10 minutes. Vacuum, and voila! The spot is gone! For greasy food stains, mix 1 part salt to 4 parts rubbing alcohol. Rub hard on the stain, but be careful to only rub in the direction of the carpet’s natural fibers. For ketchup spills, act fast because once it dries it’s nearly impossible to get out. Sprinkle salt over the spill, let it sit for a few minutes, and vacuum. Sponge up any residue and continue salting and vacuuming until the stain is gone.

 

Shaving Cream

Shaving cream is a great cleaner for juice, grease, and oil stains. For spilled juice, blot the stain, pat it with a wet sponge, squirt shaving cream on it, and wipe it clean with a damp sponge. For grease and oil spills, work shaving cream into the stain, let it dry, and rub it off with a damp soft cloth.

 

Vinegar

Vinegar is the end all be all of stain removal. Try these different formulas to remove a variety of common stains. For light carpet stains, use a mixture of 2 tablespoons salt dissolved in ½ cup of white vinegar. Rub the stain with the mixture, let it dry, and then vacuum. For larger or darker stains, add 2 tablespoons of borax to the mixture mentioned above and use it in the same way. For ground in dirt or other stains, make a paste of 1 tablespoon vinegar with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Rub the paste into the stain using a dry cloth. Let that sit for two days, and then vacuum. For fruit and fruit juice stains, mix 1 tablespoon laundry detergent with 1 ½ tablespoons white vinegar and combine it with 2 cups of water. Work the solution into the stain and blot dry. For coffee and tea stains, combine equal parts white vinegar and water and blot dry.

 

As a final tip, even if you don’t have any carpet mishaps, you should have your carpet cleaned every 12 to 18 months. You can call a professional carpet cleaning service to do the job quickly for you!

 

Samantha Cavasin

Home & Yard Magazine